OPENNESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY
At the WTO
50. The UK the EU, and the WTO itself, have made
commitments to the pursuit of a more open and transparent negotiating
process at the WTO. We urge the Government to press, through
the EU, for continued efforts by the WTO and its members to engage
with other international institutions and civil society in the
debate over the best way to improve the multilateral trading system's
contribution to sustainable development. One proposal we have
heard of merit is for there to be a parliamentary assembly associated
with the Organisation as there is with a number of other multilateral
institutions such as NATO, the OSCE and the Council of Europe.
With respect to engagement with other international bodies, we
regard the establishment of coordination mechanisms between the
WTO and other global economic, development and environmental institutions
to be a priority.
In the UK
51. NGOs told us that the Government had been far
more open in its preparations for the new WTO negotiations than
in regard to the OECD negotiations of the MAI and this supported
the Government's own claims. This had resulted in improved information
flows. What was not discernible was any resulting changes to UK
policy, or even emphases, as a result. Mr Duncan McClaren, FoE,
said that the MAI experience clearly had opened doors in government
for civil society but still, in effect, there was 'nobody home'.[95]
52. In terms of parliamentary oversight we welcomed
the Government's commitment to providing the House with ministerial
statements before and after the Seattle summit but there was no
commitment to even the possibility of a full debate the House
a chance to express its opinion. In the case of the OECD MAI the
Government said that it had never ruled out the possibility of
a debate in the House "had the right circumstances arisen".
We would like to hear the criteria for the 'right circumstances'
in relation to the Millennium Round. We regret that the House
was asked to approve the Government's proposals for Seattle, on
the back of taking note of the European Commission's position,
without a full debate in the Chamber and in advance of the promised
ministerial statement.
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